


Miss1ng

by Patherfind



Series: Zer0 pain [2]
Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Blood, Confusion, Cussing, Darkness, Gen, Injury, Interrogation, Kidnapping, Pain, Sickness, Slag - Freeform, Thinking, Torture later probably, ill add more tags later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-28
Updated: 2019-07-08
Packaged: 2020-03-20 18:33:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18998185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Patherfind/pseuds/Patherfind
Summary: Zer0 wakes up in a weird place with a weird bandit asking weird questions. Pain and suffering to ensue





	1. Chapter 1

Zer0 shifted a fraction of a degree... It was uncomfortable, their mind felt fuzzy... Things were blurry, unfortunately, accompanied by a roaring static.. Where..? They, through the fuzz, could hear water dripping. Footsteps, alternating regularly. Up and down and up and... Pacing, from the sounds of it. Hmm.

The assassin tilted their head, only to let out a soft grunt as pain surged through their head and side of their neck. **:’(**. 

The unintentional light from their emoting visor was the only light in the room, that much was clear now. They straighten their posture again, shoulders feeling tense, painfully so. Their entire body felt off, aching deeply. It was as if they had been in.. Combat? Only they had not won— Where were they?... 

Injuries stung, injuries they had no recollection of getting. A dampness under their armor and a painful bundle of stabbing in their torso- has they been shot? Center mass too... Careless. Urgh... 

The red light faded away as their mind pondered, dissociating and stumbling away from the ceaseless burning and stinging. Any clues that could be discerned were lost to them in the darkness.   
As they squinted into the inky black, the pacing stopped. Silence fed their racing mind.

Rapidly approaching footsteps. This activated their high alert senses. Zer0 reaches for their sword— Their hand did not move. Their body wailed with the effort of movement.  
 **!**

Panic rose like a red tide within them, overwhelming anything else, including their torment... Testing for a split second, Zer0 found that they could not move their body whatsoever... How had they not noticed before? They chided themself for being so foolish. Swayed by a ringing and a little bit of blood. 

The emote disappeared, but red light had lingered long enough for the assassin to catch glimpse of.. Something. Careful not to show their feelings any longer, Zer0 went still. Their breathing was slightly elevated, despite their attempts. Unknown dread sank into them like a stone in water. 

The steady dripping, the ambient noise, seemed to be screaming now, demanding their attention against yeh situation. Though panicked, outwardly they showed almost nothing about it. Their four fingered hands gripped and ungripped slowly, holding onto what must have been chair arm rests... 

Ah. Kidnapped, yes that explained... Half of what they were confused about. What they had seen must have been their captor. A bandit...? No, too lowly... Not cunning enough to catch the apex predator...  
Then... What?... 

The mere idea, theory, eluded their logic. How could Zer0 make such a mistake..? There seemed to be a gap in their memory, eating away at their security of mind. Surely.. Nothing could have... Bested them? They had a team.. Had they also been captured?  
...  
The last thing they remembered... Going on a mission with everyone. Then... Nothing else came to mind, perhaps blocked by something? A head injury, perhaps. Their head panged terribly, as if to reinforce their thoughts and confirm their concerns. Zer0 winced, a pained breath escaping them. 

...The fact that nothing was happening was also contributing to their mounting concerns. Surely if they were being watched, they would know that they’re awake. They had even had their visor displaying they bright light just earlier. If they didn’t know, they were dumb, which they probably weren’t (unless they were just extremely lucky...?... No.), or they were missing with them. Toying with them before they did whatever. 

Their reason for being here was most likely malicious. For tea parties, from what they know; usually the host does not restrain their guests. Or.. Abduct them.

**:|**

“So it is true!” An almost gruff voice exclaimed loudly, from what must have been a few feet behind Zer0.

**!**

The emote went away as quickly as it came. Inside they boiled with anger at themself. That should have been expected.  
Of course the light would trigger a reaction. Though, their mind was still fuzzy. Not too fuzzy to blot out shock, but enough to scramble their thinking patterns and intuition...

The assassin did not move, nor did they utter a word.   
This was... Probably not going to end well. 

As they reasoned escape routes, they shifted. It dawned upon Zer0 that they were unarmed. Even their digistructing sword sheath was removed. They must have taken their ammo too. They felt light, yet still burning as if they had been carrying two tons through a desert. Namely their neck and head aches considerably... Most the rest of them felt weak, strained and tired. 

And as if their day didn’t have enough shocks, they were half blinded by a light overhead suddenly drowning the room, an irritating buzzing filled the assassins mind with muddled thoughts.   
Beneath their helmet and visor, they blinked and squinted against the sharp contrast.

They wished to see their captor... They did not move, however, and neither did the other person in the room.  
Who were they? Zer0 didn’t remember the voice from anywhere. Bandits and such never really spoke in conversational tone, so... That could serve as an explanation for now, but it didn’t sit right. That some random person did this..? It didn’t make a lick of sense. 

‘So it is true!’, it was an odd line. They had said it in reaction to...  
Urgh. It was difficult to think. Deeper pondering made their head ache. Moving to compensate only made things flare angrily. 

Another painful breath managed to escape their mask, but faint enough to only barely be heard. Zer0 opted to remain as still as possible. Think about anything else...

If only they had a Health Now, to stop the forceful agony impeding their thoughts. To blot out their tedious blood. 

A shadow passed over their face and it took a second to realize that it was a hand. Zer0 pulled back a bit in their chair and gave a confused grunt.

“Space cadet, eh?... Huh.” The guy said, coming into view. Their face was... 

It rang no bells, or had they forgotten? It was all odd. Like a puzzle, but none of the pieces wanted to fit together. Three different puzzles mixed into one box, but with a shock field around it that punished them for even thinking about solving it...

Their abductor was wearing a bit of an odd outfit.   
A red shirt, then a black and red coat over it. It reminded Zer0 of those nomads that bore shields... But this guy didn’t exactly have the stature of one. They did have a hood like one would have.. The clothes didn’t look baggy either, so that most likely rules out them being stolen from a nomad...

Maybe they were spacing out a bit. Zer0 certainly wasn’t used to this sort of treatment. They were used to... Freedom... Or, at least being able to tend to some of their own wounds, then having a siren shout at them about using too many health needles...

The memories of that brought them back to how they got there of course. How did it happen? Surely if this happened in battle the others would have noticed.

Did they get caught themselves?...

It didn’t—.

“Hah. They must have got you good then.” The guy said, had he been talking? A fist tapped against Zer0’s helmet. Oh... Bitch. Oh how the lanky assassin wanted to cut that hand off right then and there- the shower of blood would wash away the dirt and pain and grime left and- 

A laugh escaped their captor. Had there been a reaction to accompany that fleeting thought?...

“No need to be angry, assassin. It just seems you have.. Huhm, maybe a concussion? I’m no professional though.” The man smiled dangerously, pacing around the chair in a predatory circle.

Fuck this guy. Zer0 focused on not displaying anything. This guy wouldn’t get anything out of them. No information, or reaction, whatever he had brought them here for. If there was something uncombative that Zer0 was good at, it was being stubborn. 

“But that’s not my main concern right now...” He started, then stepped in front of Zer0, arms crossed in front of them. They were... in thought?

The man turned to Zer0, expression of anything joking gone. A serious face for whatever came next. Maybe then..

**(:**

The man didn’t react, only staring straight into the void that was Zer0’s visor. A sleek, black helmet with some light scratches around the edges. Rough and worn, a reflection of themself. 

“So, vault hunter. Brain of the operations as I take it. Now, where is it?” Was the question posed.

...What? If they weren’t so intent on remaining stoic, a question mark would appear on their helmet now. Instead, their mind was filled with them. And another warm wave of agony. 

Where was what? What was their mission... It had to have the answers...  
Echo..? Of course, that was gone with their sword and guns. Can’t have them contacting anyone or murdering anyone... At the bare minimum, there was no checking of their current missions to figure out what the hell was going on. 

Internally they were scrambling, outwardly they appeared to just be sitting blankly. 

“I know you hid it. You and your little goons...” He have a gruff breath, anger building slowly, threatening to spill over if this continued.

The kidnapper was silently questioning if they were still conscious or not as well, or, how awake they really were. The ‘assassin’ had not said a word and he couldn’t tell if they were just always quiet, suffering from a worse head injury than he thought, or were trying to get on his nerves. Because, they were beginning to. And when his nerves got stepped on... Oh ho. The assassin would have bigger issues than a headache.


	2. Chapter 2

More rage welled as the silence drew on longer. The assassin was going to get punched at this rate. He wanted answers and he wanted them now. The man stared, seemingly at his own reflection. That stupid mask was just so reflective... The thought of the ‘faceless vault hunter’ was making them a bit more agitated.

 

They could tell how restless the other was becoming... Zer0 should answer, preferably soon. This bandit looked as if they were about to blow a fuse. Five.. Seven.. Six..? No... Shoot. This was... Difficult.

It was a slight struggle to count up their syllables at this point, despite their vast experience and proficiency with the task. Evil kidnapper was nearly seething already, and here they were, counting in their head. It made them feel a bit silly...   
Zer0 glanced to the figure. Still mad. 

He opened his mouth to demand an answer but-

“I have no clue what.../ you’re referring to, is it/ money? Or... weapons?” Zer0 attempted in a voice that shocked even them. Soft, slightly rough and unused. They ignored it though and subconsciously cleared their throat. The gesture didn’t help much, however.

 

This prompted the question again: How long had they been out? A few hours, at least... They certainly felt like it, unrestfulness filling the air around them like static, demanding them to move, do something. Aches from being sedentary for so long. How they longed to stretch their nimble self and run. But, no. Restraints and a lack of weaponry denied their request to shoot things and slash through the air.

“Money? Hah. Hehehehah..” The guy smirked and chuckled to Zer0’s response.  
“You know damn well that that thing’s priceless.” He said after the laughter was out of the way, wiping his eye a bit in exaggeration. The gesture was... Odd, to Zer0... But, what thing could they have found that was priceless?... They hadn’t denied weapon... Perhaps, one of legendary quality? That could explain it. Though, at what cost...? Surely if they had found a legendary weapon of great power, they would have wielded it and used it against their kidnappers? Surely then they would not be in this situation.

...

The emote displayed reflected their confusion, possibly them trying to process this. 

Were they going to tell them what it was? Or continue beating around the bush while the assassin fought the urge to waste energy on escaping the chains around their wrists and ankles. 

“Trying to deny you know where it is? Funny game, assassin.” The bandit said, his look turning into something more akin to a glare.  
“You know that it exists. The vault key.”

The world seemed to freeze. Memories slipped through the gaps, seeming to play loudly to them. 

“Finally found another one of ‘em?” “Then this means...” “Here we go again...” “A SHINY OFFERING TO THE BLOOD GOD!!!”   
“It’s... Golden.”  
The color of golden weapons rose and swirled in the cesspool of discarded thoughts and words, blood seeping into it all. Agh. 

Disgusting. They could feel the blood beneath their mask still, tricking down their face. Filthy. Untidy. Unclean... They needed it off of them, now. Blood would turn their vision red and... Well, it did hurt quite a bit...

**...**

...A vault key. Vault. The connotations pulled them from their trance. Zer0 shook their head to shake off anything- the bandit probably took this another way.

“You really don’t know?”  
This man was annoying. They knew. They knew... It was golden...? That wasn’t very helpful, but what he had been saying must have been the truth then. An actual vault key...? How did things end up like this? Them hiding it? Surely if the team had found a key, it would be safe at Sanctuary with the Crimson Raiders? Unless something happened... A leak? Loose link?... Betrayal?...

...  
The side of their head exploded with pain, causing a gasp and a groan to escape them. A fist had collided with the side of their helmet, causing Zer0 to reel slightly from the impact. They could have sworn they had seen stars, and with how hard their head was throbbing, they believed it. They could scent their own blood more strongly now.

“Filthy fuckin’ alien.” The man spat, seemingly done with the whole “nice guy act”, if you could even call it that, what with the constant questioning and berating.. The whole, restrained to a chair and disarmed thing. It didn’t scream friendliness in the first place, but it was probably preferable to whatever this mood was.

A staticy, **!?** displayed across their mask briefly. When they looked up, only a glare greeted them. Alien...?.... This man was... Impatient, to say the least. That blow to the head had made their processing even more scrambled. “I.. uh... may know of it.../ golden, right? It’s a... vault key..../“ Zer0 said, trailing off and not finishing the haiku, figuring it was wrong anyways. And they had run out of words to tack on to the end for the last five syllables.

“...” The man sighed, drawing the sound out. They brought a hand to their face and grumbled softly.   
After a moment he looked up. “Yes. Yes it’s a vault key. It’s sort of.. Square shaped? Look. You’re the fucking tall freak who ran off with it, my men saw you. I get that your head hurts or whatever, boo hoo, you’re really pissing me off.” The guy explained, gesturing with his hands.

When Zer0 didn’t reply, the guy turned and stormed off... That certainly didn’t mean anything good for the lanky assassin. Zer0 did their best to watch the retreating form, then focused on the darkness in front of them. They... Weren’t sure what to do... Thinking up a plan at this moment was painful though, Their memory provided them no information they needed... Perhaps they could simply request their Echo device back? That way, they could get the information directly from their team and the others, who were likely at Sanctuary. And if they weren’t, then... Couldn’t their kidnapper ask them himself...?  
...

Zer0 shifted slightly in their chair. It was uncomfortable and giving them a back ache. Though, the chair probably wasn’t the only thing to blame for that. 

The ringing in their head was beginning to subside now, ushering a sigh of relief from them. They pulled in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. Zer0 repeated this a few times until they at least felt calmer. 

They couldn’t stay here for too much longer... As an assassin, they had work to do, as a living creature, they wished for freedom. The man wanted answers that they could not provide. Zer0 was equally as baffled as he, and wanted to know... Where the hell had their team managed to snag another vault key? So soon? How much memory had they lost to these filthy lowlifes? 

...Though, more importantly, did this mean another challenge? Would it compare at all to the last? The battle with the Warrior... The slaying of Jack, the entire thing?... It might. That was enough of a motivator to find out, honestly. Zer0 took another deep breath and focused.

Now.. To make their grand escape... They would need to first undo the bindings on their hands. This would... Prove difficult. Their strength was still low, and their hands were in an awkward position behind them, keeping them held in such a way that pained Zer0 to even move. They grumbled slightly as they attempted a few tugs. The bindings remained tight and unbudged.

Brute force wouldn’t work... Something else, then. 

The thought occurred to them after what seemed like hours. And by all they knew, it could have very well been hours. The space around them was stagnant, the same buzzing light being ever present, the occasional flicker being the only thing to offset the monotony.   
The stillness aside, though. Zer0 prepared themself. This would probably hurt.. But at least they could probably find a way out once they gained their bearings. 

The only issue would be if the man returned... Hopefully, the assassin would be long gone before that happened though.   
They shifted their weight to their left, then quickly attempted to fling themself to the right. The chair wobbled slightly and shifted. Yes! This would work then, but they needed to work quickly. Zer0 shifted again and flung their weight. Another wobble, bigger this time. This made them feel a bit relieved. Soon... Soon they could go. Ah, this rocking was hurting their head though. Zer0 held their breath as they repeated the action once more.

THUD

 **OW**  
More stars seemed to fill their vision alongside the res light, which was quickly extinguished once they noticed it. Pain shot through their injured temple. Zer0 groaned softly, their field of vision sideways with the floor. Indeed, they had toppled over the chair. The sound had been very loud though. They had to work quickly.

Zer0 nudged the ground with their feet and attempted to shove themself away from the chair. They managed to get their arms over the chair- a sloppy binding there, not containing them to the poles of the metal folding seat. They continued sort of, oddly crawling off of it. 

Away now. Zer0 pushed themself to sit up, arms still behind themself. They gave a breath before standing slowly. Their posture was low, stealth-like as usual. It was especially important now... 

The assassin took a moment to glance around. Of course, what they found was darkness, and more darkness. Shaking their head slightly, Zer0 winced and chose a direction to walk in, feeling on edge due to their lack of weaponry and fighting ability. 

They walked forwards, soon meeting a wall. The light was far off. They staggered and groaned quietly. They trailed along the wall, letting the side of their arm brush against the cool wall. It was made of stone... It made the assassin feel uneasy. Were they underground?...

They almost fell, as they had subconsciously started leaning against the wall. The wall opened into a hallway. It was still pitch black, though. Zer0 stumbled and shakily regained their footing. They looked into the darkness, unsure. It was... Very difficult to see. Unusually, they could see better in darkness.. Though, this was new and unfamiliar territory...

Zer0 shrugged their shoulders and gave a soft noise, then started striding down the hallway, in what felt like the middle... Hopefully this led out, or to somewhere with light... Uncertainty washed over them in waves.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Going to start doing a bit of skipping from here. It'll be choppy but for great reasons! Suffering. I'll drop next chapter too since it is sort of short, as is this one. Chapter five will be longer but hopefully be a bit more entertaining, and show more of where I want this fic to be >:D

Through the empty hall, into the murky void of darkness. Zer0 stepped carefully, trying to avoid tripping into anything. Without much use for their bound hands, they walked without a guide. The buzzing light and dripping water was getting further and further away, which was both a relief and a curse. Without guide... It was becoming more difficult... Who knows how long they ventured before they could hear it.  
The light pitter patter of footsteps, echoing through the tunnel. A spike of fear went through their chest and they refused to give an indicator of where they were, say, by giving a red exclamation mark. They stood still for a moment before darting to the side. As expected, Zer0 ran into a wall with a sharp thud. They winced softly and closed their eyes, waiting.

Thud. Thud. Thud. Closer now.

“It’s over here!” A gruff voice called. A gun was cocked. 

 

...Oh goodness. Zer0 pulled in a breath and held it tightly, glancing around, both sides of the hall... Of course, they could see nothing. Of course not... Ah, this was quite a bind. Thinking up a way out... Impossible. It couldn’t be done. No.. Not at this rate, with the steps growing closer. They were going to shoot them, they knew it. 

Damn this situation. If only the assassin had... Sight, perhaps. They could... Do something, anything.   
Scrambling to form a helpful thought, the assassin simply continued walking, making very little sound now. Maybe they could just play it cool. The emptiness in the air was deafening...

After a few moments, the steps were closer... Perhaps they could walk past...?...

THUMP!

Zer0 had walked right into another person. There was a shout, then the sounds of more people approaching. They staggered backwards in a daze, before, embarrassingly falling onto their back. 

The assassin didn’t protest much as guns were shoved against them and they were dragged off forcefully, though their head did hang slightly lower. Such... Shame. They still had hope, however. Another window would surely open...

...

Sometime. They would surely find a way out of this predicament...


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Slag! Pain! More plot stuff from now on. Unless I change my mind?  
> Chapter has: Blood. Language. Pain. Shooting.

One of their captors wore a sneer as they towered over the bound assassin. Zer0 didn’t move, nor did they emote. Stress and panic built in their mind as their eyes tracked the movements of the bandit, though said bandit could only see their own reflection.  
“Alright. I know jus’ how ta get information outta you.” The bandit began. Though the mask on their captor’s face hid their expression, the sneer was all that the assassin could hear. That tone didn’t mean anything good, nothing much at all. From how this was set up, Zer0 could tell that they were to be tortured. Though the thought didn’t thrill them... Their sneaking suit would be damaged further by these scoundrels... And, seeing their own blood was never something Zer0 wished for. 

Knives, scalpels, axes, saws. All expected things. But what the bandit had filled Zer0 with cold terror. There in their hands, a large, rusted syringe. The contents were deep purple with black and blue streaks, something viscous.  
Eridium...? Or, more likely, slag. A rawer form of it. It reminded them of the large puddles, runoff from the delivery pipes that Hyperion had set up deep in the desert... Oh. This was uncharted territory. Though Zer0 had been slagged before... The assassin wasn’t sure the effect of this. For sirens, it amplified their abilities, guns, changed their projectiles, humans, killed or mutated... 

Zer0 eyed it warily, dread sinking down in their chest. This would... It would be worse than the standard things they had in mind. Pain would be coming, that was for sure. 

“Still silent huh? Well. I’m sure afta a bit of this, you’ll be spilling the secret..” Their gravelly voice cut into Zer0’s thoughts. With a haphazard way, the syringe was spun in the hand of the man. Then, without much warning, half of the needle was sunk into Zer0’s arm.  
With some discipline, and gritting their teeth pretty hard, they managed to remain silent as the sludge was injected into their veins. The effect was almost instantaneous. It felt as if broken glass were in their blood, tearing apart everything it touched. The pain was searing the instant it came into contact with their blood. The substance didn’t want to be there, Zer0 didn’t want it there. 

As it slowly spread, an itching feeling spread in their arm. As if attacked by fire ants. They couldn’t help the twitching of that hand as it too started searing. 

Time passed in large chunks. Zer0 attempted to seclude themself from the pain, but it always slowly crept up on them. Their vision darkened around the edges, who knows how long later. There was no cover. Not from this, the pain was here. It was here to stay.  
Was this what was supposed to happen to them? A sickly, sluggish feeling settled upon them after, say... They had lost count, but they must have been prodded and jabbed with the substance around ten times. If any words were said to the assassin, they were drowned out by a droning buzz in their mind. It was difficult to remain quiet. A challenge.  
Even if they had information, at this point it would be impossible to tell it. The bandit- Were there multiple now? The bunch seemed to be enjoying themselves at least. Zer0 gave soft groan as they managed to make out a sight.  
A glowing purple weapon held in the hands of a larger man. A pistol, though probably a slag one... The sides of it had notches that softly glimmered in the disgusting color. The end of the barrel had a crude blade attached to it, its edge portraying the same tint as eridium. It looked like a weapon Zer0 could once see themself using... An odd thought to be having at the moment. 

Through it all, they could feel the barrel being pressed against their abdomen. Mutterings and jeerings of the, two. It was two bandits. 

“Ain’t that sorta dangerous?”  
“Eh. Who cares. Vault hunters are like varkids. Won’ fucking die.” The gunslinger replied.  
Zer0 couldn’t help but squirm uncomfortably against the metal. The man had a point, Vault Hunters were pretty sturdy. Though, like everything else, this would hurt. A lot. A bullet that pierces a shield hurts a hell of a lot more than one that hits a shield. This was a pain they felt only occasionally, if they were overwhelmed by hostiles.

“Hah. Look at that stupid face.” One said, jabbing a finger in the direction of Zer0’s mask. A slightly distorted **‘ >_<’** was displayed upon their faceplate. Zer0 barely registered it before there was a.. 

BANG!

The sound was loud as all hell being raised. The noise echoed through the room annoyingly. The bandits staggered and Zer0 gave a yelp. Though slag guns rarely shot powerful projectiles, being shot point blank range did feel... unpleasant. The slag hit them with much force. They could feel the residue sinking into the wound. Blood slowly soaked through their sneaking suit.  
It had seen better days for sure. As had the assassin.

Days passed, they were moved. At some point, they had started feeling more akin to a lab rat than someone to be questioned. They gave little answers. They had none, really. Zer0 could only think that the rest of their team had evaded capture. Surely they would have an easier time getting information from them... No offense to them of course...

Ah. How these bandits liked wielding slag. Such an inelegant element. As was corrosion and fire. Slag worked well for Zer0, though only when they were the one wielding it. They could easily snipe and finish off slagged enemies. Or their teammates could spray the mobs down with gunfire...  
Where were they now? How long had it been?...

Locked behind a steel door, Zer0 simply sat in the corner, shaking ever-so-slightly. It was a barely noticeable tremor. Burning, searing, blinding agony flowed through their veins. Every once in a while, they shifted slightly. It was meant as an act of self soothing, though it helped very little.  
They felt itchy, painful. Weak. Tired. Many ailments piling on top of each other, overwhelming their senses, filling their mind with a static as it ran through thoughts quickly. Questions, few answers. 

Zer0 softly seethed at this, growing more and more frustrated with themself as time went on. They were barely restraint, but still, with no strength, no escape could be made. Not yet at least... A chance had to come around. 

Memories came and went, none more helpful than the last. They passed the time by murmuring haikus to themself. Though, it was beginning to be hard to count syllables. At least, not as quickly as before The small poems consisted of more and more dreadful themes, as darkness flooded their mind. 

...


End file.
